Middle East Film Festival
Unless Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is making a visit, the Middle East gets scant coverage in the nightly news. Here's your chance to explore the many nations, cultures and conflicts of the region in more than one- and two-minute segments. Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Center presents the New Orleans Middle East Film Festival with 60 films screening over 10 days. The movies offer fresh perspectives on countries that are often overshadowed by conflict, and the goal, says Zeitgeist director Rene Broussard, is to provide people with a new understanding of the cultures. The festival includes films from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, including the Oscar-nominated Israeli film Beaufort. Opening night features a reception catered by Cafe Arabesque and music by the Tarik Hassan Trio. Tickets for individual films $8 general admission, $7 students/seniors, $6 Zeitgeist members/children, $10 day pass, $50 festival pass. — Allison Good
Fri.-Mon. Aug. 1-4; through Aug. 10
Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center, 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 827-5858; www.zeitgeistinc.net
